South Carolina football: two more opt outs, two more injuries
By Jacob Elsey
South Carolina football will be down four more players for the remainder of 2020.
The firing of Will Muschamp has already created a domino effect of opt outs among the South Carolina football team. The team learned that it will be without two of their better defenders in cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Israel Mukuamu, who decided to prepare for the NFL Draft rather than finish out the remainder of the season.
Now, another member of the South Carolina secondary will join them. RJ Roderick has opted out of the last three games of the year. The Palmetto State native has been a starter in the Gamecock secondary for three seasons now, recording 134 tackles, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions.
Roderick still has two years of eligibility remaining should he return to Carolina football in 2021.
A second player, offensive lineman Makius Scott, has also opted out, becoming South Carolina’s fourth defect this week. Scott has yet to play in his freshman season, and time will tell if he decides to continue his career in Columbia.
South Carolina football’s defense also hit with injuries.
The defense has already lost three members of its secondary due to opt outs, and the group will be even thinner following the season ending injuries to Brad Johnson and Aaron Sterling.
Johnson, a junior, has played both defensive line and linebacker in his career in Columbia, recording 37 career tackles and 3.5 sacks. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.
The loss of Sterling hurts the defense much more, as he tied for the team lead in sacks last year. He hasn’t played since the LSU game, and will finish his season with nine tackles and a sack. He will have the option to return for his senior season in 2021.
The Carolina defense will now be short four starters as they prepare for a matchup with Missouri on Saturday. Young players will be asked to step up in their absence. Running back ZaQuandre White will move to safety to provide depth in the secondary, while offensive lineman Jordan Rhodes will move to defensive line following the losses of Sterling and Johnson.